By Ken Wiebe /

The stars finally aligned for Marty Murray to play home games in his home province again.
A star with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League from 1991 to 1994-95, the 34-year-old centre from Lyleton, Man. is now a member of the Manitoba Moose after signing a one-year contract with the American Hockey League club.
“It was an obvious choice, the No. 1 destination” said Murray, who had 15 goals and 54 points for the Manchester Monarchs last season. “Being from Manitoba, I figured the Moose would be a good fit.
“I’ve been away for a long time and it’s good to get back to this part of the country and be around family and friends. Another reason is that the Moose have a competitive team ·every year.
“Some organizations just want to develop players, but the Moose walk that fine line. They want to have a team to win the Calder Cup, while producing prospects for Vancouver.
“I’m real excited and hopefully we can take another run at it like they did last year.”
Manitoba’s quest for a first Calder Cup fell just short last spring as they lost in six games to a talented Hershey Bears squad.
Murray’s addition should help compensate for the loss of fellow veterans Jason Krog (Atlanta Thrashers) and Mark Cullen (Chicago Blackhawks), who left the organization during free agency.
Murray, a gifted playmaker, is expected to anchor one of Manitoba’s top two lines and will likely be a valuable member of both special-team units.
“He’s a guy that has good skills and he’ll be complimented well with some of the people he plays with,” said Moose head coach Scott Arniel. “He competes hard, he’s a proud guy and wants to continue to play at a high level and we feel he can do that for us.”
As much as his on-ice contribution will be valued, Murray (who served as Monarchs captain last season) also figures to play a prominent role among the leadership core, with the likes of captain Mike Keane and alternate captain Nolan Baumgartner.
“I have a lot of respect for both of those guys,” said Murray, who was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round (96th overall) in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft and played 261 NHL games during his 13-year career.
“They make it easier for someone like me, where last year, I was probably the only guy over 25 years old on our team. Hopefully, I can help any way I can and help make the team better.”
Keane, who is returning for his fifth season with the Moose and 22nd in professional hockey, was happy to see Murray brought on board.
“I know Marty a lit bit from playing against him and he’s a classy individual that also hates to lose,” said Keane. “Those are two real ·good things.”
NOTES
The parent Vancouver Canucks signed Russian forward Sergei Shirokov to an entry-level contract and there’s a good chance he could spent a good chunk of his first season in North America down on the farm. Shirokov, a sixth-round pick (163rd overall) in the 2006 NHL Draft, had 17 goals and 41 points in 56 games with CKSA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League last season...The Moose signed former Bears goalie Daren Machesney and former Houston Aeros centre Marco Rosa to AHL deals...Versatile forward Guillaume Desbiens signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Canucks after producing 21 goals and 47 points last season...The Moose open the 2009/10 season on Oct. 2 against the Aeros.